The first commercial radio stations in the United States began operation around 1920. Today, there may be as many as 12,000 radio stations in the United States programming in several distinct formats. When broadcasting their respective signals, these radio stations often use an analog signal, which may be modulated based on frequency or amplitude. Frequency modulated (FM) radio appears to be the dominant entertainment medium while amplitude modulated (AM) radio seems to be a popular outlet for news and information.
Unfortunately, analog radio may be unable to provide the sound quality and consistency that radio listeners desire. As such, several broadcasting related companies have begun to consider a movement to digital radio. Unlike analog radio reception, digital radio reception may be able to provide compact disk (CD) quality sound while remaining virtually immune to interference. Being immune to interference may result in reducing static growls or ‘multipath’ echoes, echoes caused by signal reflections off buildings or topographical features.
Some countries, like Canada and many European countries, may choose to have digital radio operate in a single digital radio band such as the L-band between 1452–1492 megahertz (MHz). This band would allow the reception of both terrestrially and satellite-originated signals. By comparison, FM radio typically operates between 88 and 108 MHz while AM radio typically operates between 0.525 and 1.705 MHz. Neither of these bands allows for easy transmission via satellite.
Canada proposed using the L-Band for digital radio as early as 1992. Several countries throughout the world have since agreed to use the L-Band for digital radio with one notable exception. It appears the United States has chosen not to operate its digital radio within the L-Band. In the United States, the L-Band may already be committed for military uses. Apparently, the United States plans to adopt a system called in-band on-channel, or IBOC, which fits within the AM and FM frequencies.
IBOC technology may offer some advantages over L-Band transmissions. For example, there may be no need for new spectrum allocations. There may be backward and forward compatibility with existing AM and FM systems on both the transmitter and receiver sides, and there may be a low-investment upgrade to digital systems. Unfortunately, a workable IBOC solution is yet to be seen though technology may someday make IBOC digital radio commercially possible.
Even if an IBOC solution becomes commercially available in the United States, IBOC digital radio may suffer from several shortcomings. For example, there may global standardization problems. Though the United States favors IBOC, the European and Canadian communities seem to favor L-Band making the establishment of a global standard difficult.